Negative-holder.



No. 773,358. PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904.

A. J. WEED.

NEGATIVE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27. 1903. RENEWED AUG. 9. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES: m VENTOI? V By M ATTORNEYS Patented October 25, 1904.

PATE T OEETcE.

ARTHUR J. WEED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

NEGATIVE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,358, dated October.25, 190&.

Application filed. November 27, 1903. Renewed August 9, 1904. Serial No.220,072. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J .WEED, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Negative-Holder,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is an improved article for holdingphotographic platesduring the operations of developing, fixing, and washing the sensitizedsurfaces thereof; and the object that I have in view is the provision ofan extremely simple article which can be manufactured at a very low costand which is capable of easy application to the edge portion of a platefor holding the latter in a secure manner.

A further object is to produce a holder which on its application to aplate is deflected or bent in a way to produce bearing-points or cornerson which the holder. when inverted may stand in a washing-bath, wherebythe negative may be suspended with the film side facing downward inrunning water, so as to wash the film without exposing it to thelodgment of sediment in the water.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thecourse of the subjoined description,and the actual scope thereof will bedefined by the annexed claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved plate or negative holder.vFig. 2 is a side elevation showing the positions assumed by the parts ofthe holder when it is applied to a plate or negative. Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail view of the blank for making the clip which forms a partof the improved holder,

and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the clip made from the blank of Fig. 3.

The holder of my invention consists of a spring A and clips B C at theend portions of the spring, the detailed construction of which partswill now be described. The spring consists of a cross-bar a and arms a,said bar and the arms being made from a single piece of wire having therequisite elasticity. The bar a of the spring is straight between thearms, the latter being at right angles to said bar in the normal orunapplied condition of the holder.

Each clip B C is made from a single piece of sheet metal, which is firststamped or struck up in the form of a blank D, as represented by Fig. 3.Said blank D consists of a rectangular portion (Z and an approximatelycircular portion cl, the latter being formed with an opening Z althoughthis is not essential. The blank is stamped in a fiat form from a pieceof sheet metal by a suitable die or any other instrument, and subsequentto the stamping operation the blank is manipulated to produce the clip.The circular portion.

(Z of the blank is bent or doubled upon itself, as shown by Figs. 2 and8, so as to produce an angular foot-piece 7), while the rectangularportion (Z of said blank is doubled in a way to produce a tubular shankc. The tubular shank a of the two clips receive the free ends of thearms a of the spring A and the parts are united solidly by soldering,riveting, or otherwise afiixing them, whereby the clips are attached tothe spring so as, to constitute an integral part of the holder.

The angular foot-pieces of the clips B C are disposed in opposing orfacing relation, and each foot-piece is fashioned to produce ahorizontal lower member and an inclined upper member, the members of thefoot-piece lying at obtuse angles, as shown more clearly by Fig. 2. Thepeculiar form of the foot-pieces on the clips of the holder provides aconstruction which is adapted to have frictional engagement with a plateor negative, so as to prevent the latter from slipping out of the holderaccidentally, the spring or elasticity of the bar a tending to hold theclips securely in engagement with the plate or negative.

In applying the improved holder to a photographic plate or negative,such as E in Fig. 2, the arms aand the clips B O are sprung apart orspread sufiiciently for the angular foot-pieces b to engage with theedge portions of said plate or negative, the latter resting on the lowermembers of the foot-pieces, while the upper inclined members of thefoot-pieces engage with the edges of the plate or negative on the filmside thereof, as shown by Fig. 2. The operation of spreading the arms aand the clips B U bends or deflects the bar a of the spring from itsstraight condition, thus making the bar assume the curved or bowed formshown by Fig. 2. This bending of the spring-bar forms bearing-points orcorners (a at the angles of the spring A, and the holder, with theattached plate, may be inverted within a tray or other receptacleadapted to contain a washing-bath, whereby the inverted holder isadapted to rest on the bearing-points or corners e and maintain theplate or negative E in a position with its lilm side facing in adownward direction. This is advantageous, because the plate is supportedor suspended within the bath in a way to prevent the lodgment oraccumulation of sediment in the water from adhering to the film-surfaceof the plate during the operation of washing the latter.

The operation of my device is readily understood from the foregoingdescription. The holder can easily be applied to the plate so that theclips will engage with the edge portions of said plate, thus allowingthe plate to be manipulated or handled and to be immersed in adeveloping bath or solution without requiring the operator to place thelingers in said solution. The plate can be worked or moved as desired,and it can be withdrawn from the bath to permit inspection of the lilmand ascertain the progress of the development. It is evident that theplate can be handled by the holder so as to wash it previous toimmersing it in the fixing-bath, and said plate can also be placed orsuspended in the fixing-bath to allow the latter to attack the film andcomplete the treatment of the negative. When it is desired to wash thenegative subsequent a to its removal from the fixing-bath, the holderand the attached negative are inverted, and said holder is placed in awashing-tray so that its hearings or corners a will rest on the bottomof the tray, thus inverting the plate for -or deflected outwardly withsaid arms, such spreading of the arms and clips tending to de' fleet thestraight cross-bar of the spring to a curved or bowed condition andproducing hearing-points or corners at the angles of the spring.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a plate or negative holderconsisting of a spring having arms at the end portions of a cross-bar,and sheet-metal clips attached to said arms, each clip having an angularfoot-piece.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a plate or negative holderconsisting of a spring, and clips attached to the respective endportions of said spring, each clip being made from a blank of sheetmetal, said blank being doubled upon itself to produce an angularfoot-piece and a tubular shank, the end portions of the spring beingreceived in and soldered to the shanks of the clips.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two sul scribing witnesses.

ARTHUR J. \VEED. lVitnesses:

E. V. CALDWELL, H ENRY V. A. PARSELL.

